Let's reject racism and rally behind Nozipho Mthembu

7 November 2018

SADTU Western Cape wants to express its dismay on how our fellow educator Nozipho Mthembu was treated at Rustenburg Girls Junior High School. We want to place on record that schools through its educational ethos, have the role to instill values of respect, dignity, equality and tolerance in our learners to mention a few. Therefore, we cannot fathom why a school would treat an education professional with such disdain.

This type of dictatorial behavior has had a negative effect on the career of this novice teacher and former alumni of the school.

In this case, our fellow education professional's rights were violated by the School Governing Body, in such a way that she was forced to resign, due to alleged harassment and bullying by the Governors of the school of which one of them, according to media reports, is the wife of DA leader Mmusi Maimane. This proves true what we have been saying all along that the DA is racist and anti-transformation.

This deplorable practice of "racism" has no place in our society and further cannot be tolerated in our schools. Schools, being places of learning and teaching, should be the first ones to reject the practices of racism and cannot be seen to perpetuate this barbaric practice. The School Governing Body must respond to the public on the allegations of racism and we further call on the Western Cape Education Department to investigate these allegations. The WCED must take the appropriate steps contained in the South African Schools Act to disband the School Governing Body, if allegations of racism are found to be true.

The union cannot be silent when there is a gross violation of the rights of educators in terms of the Labour Relations Act, which protects workers from unfair labour practices. We are calling on the school and education community to rally behind Nozipho Mthembu and bring justice to our teacher.